


Meeting in the underground city

by JAKishu



Series: Monster [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU, Banishment, Cleaning, Dark, Freedom, Hurt Eren, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Protective Levi Ackerman, Punishment, Shingeki no Kyojin: Kuinaki Sentaku | Attack on Titan: No Regrets, alternative universe, angry Eren, kid Eren, knifes, monster Eren, underground city, wild Eren
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:47:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29613135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JAKishu/pseuds/JAKishu
Summary: The most important rule inside the wall is this: No murder. If you are an adult, you get send out of the wall to die. If you are a soldier you are forced to join the Survey Corps and take part in every exploration. And if you are a child, you get branded and banned to the underground city where most die in their first day.
Relationships: Levi Ackerman & Eren Yeager, Levi Ackerman/Eren Yeager
Series: Monster [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2216214
Comments: 89
Kudos: 217





	1. Branding and Punishment

There are many crimes, some get punished more harshly than others but the most important rule inside the wall is this: No murder. If you are an adult, you get send out of the wall to die. If you are a soldier you are forced to join the Survey Corps and take part in every exploration. And if you are a child, you get branded and banned to the underground city where most die in their first day.

The punishment seems hart, especially for children but inside the walls are no murders allowed. Everyone knows this but that didn’t stop 9-year old Eren Jäger to stab a man into his neck and another a dozen times into his chest to save a girl he didn’t know. It also didn’t stop him from faking the evidence and take on the murder of the man who was stabbed into the back by her. He saved her, more than once in only a few hours. Eren stopped her from talking by tying his red scarf around her face and telling her to live. She shuts up and he is thankful for it. Killing these monsters had been his decision not hers. It doesn’t matter that they killed the girl´s family, it doesn’t matter that they kidnap her to sell the girl into slavery. Eren Jäger killed three people. There is only one punishment for it.

The branding is the worst, at least he thought so as the hot iron burned the sign of murder into his neck, visible for everyone to see but it´s his mother’s eyes that hurt more as she tries to reach out for him but not even a last hug was given to him before he was pushed into a carriage, bind in chains. He didn’t cry or call out to her. He had made his peace with it. A very strange thing for a wild child like him but Eren hates this world, it´s rules and especially the wall and everything it represents. Who wants to life like that and what difference does it make that he will get send to another prison inside this prison. True freedom is nothing that can be find inside these walls.

Eren was offered a last look to the blue sky, not that it was intentionally but as they opened the carriage he could look up to the sky for a few seconds before he is pushed down a long staircase. The soldiers that hold onto him look at him in disgust and he knows why. He hadn’t even tried to say sorry or defend himself. He told them that they didn’t deserve to life and he doesn’t regret killing them. They were monsters and nothing anyone could say would change that.

He should be afraid of the underground city, everyone heard rumours about this place. Filled with murders, rapist, thieves and the lowest of mankind. Before even entered the city Eren knows that these rumours are wrong. Mankind is rotten to its roots and they live everywhere, it doesn’t matter if they are down here or up on the surface. Not a very popular opinion but who cares. He will life with the others down there and he really didn’t care. There isn’t even something he thinks he will really miss. Yes, his family and friends but they couldn’t give him what he really wants, no one could so what does it matter where he spends his life of imprisonment.

On the last steps they push him down and Eren lands on the ground. Looking back at the soldiers with murder in his eyes. A look that they never have seen in a child and they step pack a bit. The passageway closes and Eren turn around to look at his surroundings. It isn’t really dark; the streetlights illuminate the whole city until the dark ceiling. The houses look old and fragile, he doesn’t like the smell and it takes him a minute to notice that there are people starring at him. More precise, they look at the burn mark on his neck. It’s rare that children commit murder and even rarer that they make it to the underground city in one piece. These people who are watching him look normal and somehow wary of him. These people are normal, maybe a bit ruff looking but what do you expect when you are locked underground with the worst of humans, if this part is even true.

Deciding that standing here wouldn’t help him Eren makes his way down the street. There has to be something like a city centre or a marketplace or something else where he can find something to eat and think about his next step. He needs a place to sleep, food, water and by looking around a weapon or something else to defend himself. They should have let him keep his knife. Why send children down here to die, they could send them outside the wall like the adults. Eren would have preferred that. Good getting eaten by a titan isn’t the best but at least he would be able the smell fresh air and taste freedom for a short time. Ignoring the eyes that follow him and the children that get pulled away from him Eren take walks down the street.

The world had decided that he is a monster, he is fine with it. Better a monster than pretending to be human.


	2. A monster that will survive

Following the street Eren finds himself shadowed by some men. Not knowing what they want to do Eren tries to walk in the middle of the street. While walking he tries to map out the area and find a place where he could hide. Him being new and knowing nothing and no one isn’t helping his plan to survive. His whole plan to find food and shelter doesn’t seem very likely anymore and he doubts that anyone would take him in. A normal child maybe, if he plays his cards well but with the mark, he has no chance that some nice lady will pity him enough to let him in.

Eren watches his surrounding and keeps kicking some rock down the street. The rock will have to do as a weapon. Nothing else is there. His only hope is that he is fast enough to get a weapon from one of his followers. One of Eren´s talents is to feel a human´s intention and none of his shadows has good ones. They see him as prey, a fresh helpless victim for their will to obey.

Suddenly Eren stops in the middle of the street as a very frighten thought hit him. He is alone. For the first time in his life is he truly alone. There is no family he could shame with his behaviour, no mother to hurt, no friend to scare away, no father to let down. He is alone and no one will treat him different form now because he is a murderer. He is a killer, a wild monster in a human body. He doesn’t have to keep himself in check, he doesn’t have to hold back he doesn’t have to think about it anymore. He is alone and he will survive.

Eren runs. Runs down the street, aware of his follower. He takes in every house that passes his way. Noticing every person he sees. Finding a weapon isn’t as difficult as he had thought, he takes it from a man he run into and before he can react Eren is long gone. Now armed with a knife and with a good distance to his stalkers he climbs up a house, all their roofs are flat and hopefully stable enough. Eren doesn’t want to break through the ceiling of some families house. He needs to find a save place first to observe the area but his plan is destroyed as the first man appears on the rooftop next to his hiding spot.

“If you win you live. If you lose you die. If you don’t fight, you can’t win.” Familiar words, words he had told the girl before she committed her first murder fill his mind and leave his mouth in a whispered voice. “Fight.”

He will fight, he will survive and make his way out of this prison. Because one day he will be free and everyone who stands in his way will have to die. No one has the right to take his freedom away. And with this last thought Eren attacks and strikes down the first man in surprise. The following wouldn’t be so easy, but he is the monster, the monster that will take over the world if he needs to.


	3. Wild animal

“Hey Levi, did you hear about the newcomer?” Furlan enters the house, closely followed by Isabel.

“No.” Levi isn’t interested in gossip unless its useful for their business and some new arrival in the underground city doesn’t sound very promising. Especially if it is someone special, they would know about it for weeks. Their information net is the best down here. So, whoever came down here isn’t important.

“They send down another of these branded killers.” Isabel says as she sits down taking out a bite of her apple.

“I heard its just a small boy.” Furlan continues and Levi looks up at him. They all hate the law from above, sending children down here who killed someone. Levi had only seen two of these in his life. The only ones that reached adulthood. The law includes everyone until the age of 16, on the rare cases they send someone down to the underground city they were all above the age of 14, never someone younger.

“What do you mean with small boy?” Levi asks, they should have the same understanding for the word small regarding age.

“I doubt he is older then ten, I would say younger after the rumours that are already on the street. It says some already try to hunt him down. As far as I know he is still alive.” He wants something, Levi also knows what but why should he care about some brat that is already a killer.

“Maybe he is just small.” A sharp look hits Isable and she doesn’t say anything else.

“We could at least have a look. Maybe he is useful for us.” Furlan tries to get Levi´s attention away from Isable and the touchy subject of body sizes.

“You want to take him in or what?” Levi asks but is on his feet already.

“No one else will.” Furlan sounds sad and they all have had bad experience that showed them how cruel the world is they live in. “And you decide.”

“Whatever, lets go before we only see a body or nothing at all.” Levi leaves the house and the others follow him quickly. He is an only a bit interested. It´s probably just some spoilt brad that was unlucky to get caught.

* * *

It wasn’t hard to find them. The whispers of the street lead the three to the fighting pit. There was no better name for the area. There are a few bodies, some of them Levi recognizes and knows exactly what they had planned to do with the child. It isn’t a strange picture for the city. Murder is a daily thing here, sadly it´s normal, no one stops them here, no one cares enough. More injured cover the way but Levi stops frozen as he sees the child for the first time.

Furies green-gems of eyes blaze and teeth showing grim greeting him. Blood is on the boy´s clothes, his own and the blood of others. Dirt and sweat cover the places where no blood is visible. The boy breaths heavy, a single knife in his hand as he takes on another man, twice his size and struck him down. A wild animal is all Levi can see. A cornered, hurt wild beast that will fight until the end and even beyond. The ugly burn mark on his neck stands out, red and inflamed, fresh. Furlan had been right, this boy isn’t older then ten. What must have happened to make him a killer. He came from the surface, aren’t the children up their sheltered?

With a last inhuman scream, the boy puts the blade inside the man’s chest and let him go to the ground without looking guilty or remorseful. The boy looks around and his eyes stay on Levi, he looks at him and has the courage to smile at him. “Are you next?”

He had picked out Levi as the only threat for him. Everyone else had seen this a lost cause and ether run or taken place as a watcher. But the brave face and the attitude aside, Levi sees that the boy can´t keep fighting any longer, the blood that starts to collect on the ground beneath his feet makes is clear enough.

“Don’t hurt him too much.” Furlan whispers. He and Isable had watched with him, they have seen the same eyes. Eyes that scream for freedom, eyes that saw blood and will bath in more when it means to get what he wants.

“Don’t worry I will be fast.” Levi steps forward and most people decided that it is the right moment to leave. The street is empty before he reaches the heavy breathing boy. When the demon of the underground comes you better leave if you value your life.

The boy spits out blood and grips the knife even tighter in his hand. “You won´t take it away from me.” Levi likes what he sees and as the boy attacks he gets to his side in a swift moment and hits him on the back of his neck. The boy goes down and stays there.

“Furlan, take him, he is filthy.” Levi walks back toward their home, Furlan carries the unconscious boy and Isable had picked up the knife. They must treat his wounds first and clean him before he will be allowed in one of the beds. Why are they always so dirty, Levi thinks.


	4. Dreams

A ruff female voice is the first thing Eren hears. His whole body is in pain as his senses return but he hasn’t any strength left to even open his eyes. “Big brother, are you sure we should keep him?”

“Isable.” A male voice scrolling her, like that isn’t the first time this conversation happened. “He is a little boy, he is just protecting himself. You fight like him when you are in danger so don’t start.” Eren hears a huff and a door closing. “I better follow her, who knows what else she will do. Take care of him. Levi.” The door opens again and closes, this time softer.

Eren feels a hand on his forehead and flinches. The hand is cold on his skin. “Are you awake brat?” The voice sounds as cold as his hand and Eren tries to open his eye, he can´t and all his fight leaves his hurting mess of a body as the cold hand leaves his forehead and returns on his back to lift him up. A glass or cup is hold onto his lips as they part without his saying. “Drink.” An order and Eren follows it. After a few sips, the arm guide him back on the bed. “Sleep.” And Eren does as told, too tired to fight.

* * *

“… is he?” The same voice again, the voice of the first man.

“The fever finally broke. The medical care is just shit down here.” That was the second man, Levi, Eren thinks.

“Hey Furlan, let´s get something to eat.” The girl. The noise of a chair being pulled back follows.

“Bring something for a soup, if the boy will be any use he needs to eat.” Levi again. He doesn’t sound worry at all, still cold.

“You got it. Isable come on.” Furlan calls and a door closes.

These are the same people as before. They take care of him but why. He doesn’t know them, he knows no one, Eren is alone. Sleep come like a dark blanket and take him under.

* * *

A hand on his shoulder shakes him awake and Eren flinches back, eyes for the first time since he lost conscious wide open and he stares at grey eyes, that are far too close for his liking. “Good you are awake.” That is the voice of the man called Levi. “Sit up brad. Here is some soup for you. Don’t make a mess or I will make you clean it up.” A bowl with hot soup is placed next to him and Levi returns to what he sees is a one room house. Still in shock Eren looks around. The only person here with him is Levi. There is a cooking area in one corner, a big table in the middle of the room with four chairs, a sofa and cupboard at the other side of the room.

To Erens surprise he finds his knife on the small table next to the food. He looks suspicious at it, than at the man who seems to ignore him. With his back to him he could take the knife and throw it. Who knows what hey want to use him for. They said something about him needing to get better to get used. He doesn’t want to be used to belong to someone. Panik rises inside his body and he snaps the knife from the table.

“Eat your soup. It´s getting cold.” Levi turns around and looks at him with cold eyes. It sends a shiver over his skin.

“What do you want from me.” Eren says and notice for the first time how dry his throat is and that he is thirsty.

“Ts.” Eren follows Levi with his eyes as he fills up a glass of water and takes it over to him. Not touching and not giving it to him. He places it next to the soup. “It´s not poisoned. Food doesn’t get wasted for something like this.”

Eren looks at the food again and feels his hunger, he hadn’t thought about poison more of the price that it would cost him. He feels his caregiver’s eyes on him. “What do you want from me?” Eren repeats.

“What´s your name brat?” Levi asks instead.

“You should introduce yourself first before you ask someone else, LEVI.” Eren counters.

Levi lifts an eyebrow. “You seem to already know my name. I know you were awake enough to hear us talk during your slumber.” Eren feels the familiar anger inside him again. Why is he always so angry at everyone?

“Am I your prisoner?” That earns him at least a smile.

“No, you repay us and you can leave. Not that you have anywhere else to go or some other shit to do.” That hurt and Levi knows he hit where he wants to hurt him. Not in a bad way, it is more like pushing him to meet reality. The boy is alone. And he still hears his own words in his mind. Alone, but still, he will not give up, never.

“Eren. My name is Eren Jäger.” Levi nods.

“Then eat brat.” Ignoring the fact that he isn’t called by his name Eren puts the knife down next to him, ready to pick it up should something move closer and takes the bowl of soup. It tastes nice, he has no idea what is in it but he doesn’t care. While eating Eren watches Levi the whole time and it seems like the man would do his best not to move at all.

It suddenly hit him. “I am not some frighten little girl, you know.”

Levi gets up. “No, you are not, more like a little kitten, all claws and fluff.” Eren want´s to throw something at him but food doesn’t get wasted … down here. Yeah, Eren know where he is.


	5. Tour

As Furlan and Isabel returned they can feel the strange air in the room. Their Levi seems slightly amused by something, an emotion very rarely seen and the boy is finally awake, looking angry at Levi who ignores it completely. Furlan is aware of the knife in the boy’s hand, next to an empty bowl. He had preferred if Levi had taken the knife from the boy. He isn’t afraid about his friend getting hurt, Levi wouldn’t lose to some child that is hurt and had just battled off a dangerous high fever, but he gets it. The boy will fight, with or without the knife or any other kind of weapon and if this small piece of metal makes the whole thing easier on them, who is he to stop it.

The boy is still in a defensive position, readying himself to attack them. Their appearance had done nothing to calm him down. Nothing anyone born in the underground would judge him for. Everyone can and will be your enemy, will use you and dispose of you and without prove of the opposite you have to let your guard up.

Deciding that he doesn’t want to let a fight happen Furlan walks over to the boy. He stays relaxed and makes his body go smooth, showing no intention to fight. “Would you like more of the soup. Levi is a surprisingly good cook. You have to try some of his more … experimental dishes.” Furlan smiles and sees the boy thinking about it.

“What does surprisingly mean?” Levi asks as he turns away form the now clean dishes.

“You did make something fantastic with the rats I brought you.” Isabel says and Levi fixes her eyes on her next. Eren is looking at her too and Furlan sees the emotions flow over his face, disgust, curiosity and acceptance. Something in their bender must have make the boy ignore his instinct to fight because he relaxes a bit, not much and still armed.

“That would be nice.” The boy places the bowl on the table and Furlan takes it, not touching or being in reach of each other.

“My name is Furlan and that is Isabel.” He points toward the girl who is drying the dishes. Levi must have given her a look that made her do it.

“Eren.” The boy, Eren answers. Furlan returns with the food and places it on the table. Levi had told them not to touch him in anyway. The first contact has to come from Eren. He wouldn’t let them and fight against it. Furlan isn’t sure why Levi thinks it would be like that but he is right most of the times and when it come to people in such situation like Eren is right now. It´s better to listen to him.

The angry mark on the neck of the boy irritates him. How is that a thing. Whatever this boy had done shouldn’t end with him down here. He has most likely parents and friends that miss him. Send down here is a death sentence even when the government covers it with banishment. Down here children who haven’t learned how to survive are dead before the end of their first day down here. And this mark, it makes him angry seeing it. A permanent scar that will shunt him for the rest of his life, scared at such a young age.

“Eren how old are you.” Eren looks up from his soup and the look of suspicion flamed up again.

“Why?” He had stopped eating.

“It interests me, I´m 17, Isable is 14 and Levi is something between us. He doesn’t really know how old he is.” Furlan offers information. That’s how it works. You give and get back.

“How do you not know how old you are?” A very curious look appears in the green eyes.

“What do you think brat. If no one tells you, you have to estimate.” Levi doesn’t like to talk about it but it´s true, there is no one that ever told him in which year he was born. It doesn’t bother him most days but some situation like this one makes him remember.

“I´m 9 years old.” After a short break he places the empty bowl on the table and asks. “Why don’t you ask what I have done to end up here?” There is no hurt or fear in his voice.

It is Levi who answers him. “Why don’t you ask what we do for a living? We could be everything like these men that tried to take you.” After a second he adds. “Good knife work, with a bit of practice and real technic you will be even better.”

“Great. How about we go for a little tour.” Furlan ask and as Eren looks confused he continues. “Around the city. Show you what we do, what you will do to help out a bit. You know, the usually.”

“And if I don’t want to stay with you?” Furlan hears the familiar ´ts´ from Levi but doesn’t turn around as the other goes over to the cupboard.

“You can pay of the help we have given you and after that go wherever you want.” There is no place for that boy in this city and everyone knows it. Even Isabel is quiet, she doesn’t seem to like him here but sending him out was against everything she believes in, so she doesn’t say a word.

A dark green piece of fabric hits Eren in his face. “Wear that, we don’t want everyone looking at us.” It is a scarf. Eren lifts his hand and touches the ugly thing on his neck. Furlan would have expected guilt, shame, hurt any of those feelings but it is pride that shines in green, dangerous eyes. Without thinking about it, the scarf finds his new home around the boy´s neck and he gets up to follow them out of the house for his first (peaceful) walk though the city. As if any walk though the city with Levi could be called peaceful. To his surprise they don’t get as many looks as they might have feared. The rumour of their group taking the killer in must have spread but it could be that they don’t recognize the boy. Who would think of someone so small as a threat? Eren watches them, looks at Levi when he takes out some thief who tried to steel from them and knocks out some guy that touches Isabel. A normal day and Eren takes it all in, his eyes are filled with determination and Furlan knows that he will stay. Something tells him that and as Levi is never wrong about people´s behaviour in dangerous situation, Furlan sees which way they will go.


	6. Training the new guy

They are right and Eren knows it. There is no other place for him to go. If the walk through the city hadn’t shown it, it were the days after that. He isn’t really sure what they are doing but he would call this small group a gang and they control part of the city. A small part as it seems but they are new and growing, as Furlan explained. They don’t really want to be the richest or the most brutal but to survive here you have to have a reputation. And it has to be a good one. With Levi, the young demon of the underground city they had a good shield against most of the smaller threats.

The hierarchy in the city is easy to understand, the weakest are the ones at the lowest point. To survive he has to be strong no matter what. To his amazement he ended up with people that didn’t seem to care that they sit with a murderer on a table. Good point is that Eren has no clue what they did to survive down here for so long, but they didn’t ask so he wouldn’t.

Eren had decided to stay with them as long as he needs them. He will survive and he promised himself to do everything to achieve that. Becoming a monster, helping a gang, where is the difference. And it seems that both things can be combined easily. They told him to pay him back and he does so. Odd jobs, little things like delivering small packages, getting messages to other people or picking things up. He never goes alone. The reasons are simple, never be alone. Eren protested the first time as he was sure of the way and Levi told him with a voice that doesn’t allowed any kind of objection that there is no one ever going anywhere alone. So Eren followed Isabel out an did as asked.

* * *

The first time he really got into trouble was a few months after he had entered the underground city. Isabel and him wanted to go shopping, just down the street but she heard of a fresh delivery of fruits so they walked all the way to the marked place to check it out. Fresh means something different here and Eren had to learn it the hard way. Sometimes he wants to question how people can really survive here or why the government even has a place like this but Eren know the answer, even with his young age he understands that the life inside the walls isn’t sustainable and the underground city is just another way to get rid of people. No one is interested in anything that happens down here.

Sadly they didn’t get to see the fresh fruits, he would love to eat an apple once in a while.

Eren feels it before it happened, he wished he were faster but before he could react someone pulled Isabel into an dark alley. With his hands on her mouth to shut her up and effective binding her arms behind her body. Eren follows without thinking and gets pushed against the dirty wall of a house. Levi will be mad when he sees his clothes and somehow he knows who is going to have to clean them.

“Let go of us.” Eren shouts and bits the fingers that wanted to cover his mouth too.

“Ahhh.” The fingers disappear but he is hold in tight grip. “That little shit bit me.” Eren spit out the digesting taste of the man´s hands.

“Wash them before you try to put them on me.” Angry green eyes find their target and if his look could kill the man would have fallen to the ground motionless.

“The girl is top quality. Not some underfed thing, a bit old maybe but they will pay for her.” Another man steps into the shadows. The two that hold them and the three that follow the one that talked there are six men in the ally, holding on to two children. No a fair fight. “The boy is young enough to get us a good price form the surface. Some rich guy will love to have him as a plaything. Eren looks at the man and one of them pulls out some chains. “You belong to us now. Welcome to slavery.”

The man to his right holds up a metal collar and fasten it around Isabel´s neck. The clicking sound of the lock finding its place is like the final words of a dying man. And Eren remembers these words, words from man that steel children and take their freedom away. A hand appears in front of him and pulls the green scarf away from Erens neck. The man stops in his movement. “Boss, this one is a branded.”

“What?” The boss appears behind the man with the chain and the metal collar. “Oh, a rarity. That makes him even better. There have to be some information about that kid. Maybe someone is willing to pay even more for him. Make sure the chains sit probably.” Eren sees Isabel losing her will to fight as two man pull her away and her eyes scream for help, but he doesn’t see her eyes he sees the collar.

Without thinking he smashes his head against the man behind him, who loses his grip. Faster than ever before Eren finds his knife, hidden in his bothers and slices open the man´s stomach. The wet splashing sound of blood and organs hitting the floor is followed but he doesn’t look or care. The next man finds his death only moments later as Eren cut his windpipe in one swift move he had learned from Levi.

In the end Eren hadn’t been able the stop until all six had been death. Even as the last one was begging for his life, kneeing on the ground with fear in his eyes and a pissed pants on his body. Eren didn’t stop until all six stopped breathing.

Eren cleans his knife on the shirt of a dead guy. Pulls out the keys for the metal collar out of another guys pockets and walks over to Isabel. She is just watching him, let herself get freed and doesn’t protest as a bloody hand takes hers and leads her out of the alley. Green scarf in the other hand. There was no need to hide his mark, his body is covered in blood. He doesn’t feel the bruises in his face from a hit or the pain from his rips with every breath he takes. No one talks to them, no one tries to stop them or steal from them. Because the dangerous green eyes of a monster chase away everyone who tries to come closer.

* * *

As they arrive back home Furlan and Levi are waiting for them and if Eren would pay them any attention he would see the relieved faces as both of them came back alive. The story must have already spread because they don’t ask question just lead them back into the house and Levi doesn’t say a word about the blood or the dirt that follows them inside.

After a bath with Levi´s help and a check-up by Furlan they all sit together. Isabel seems to finally calm down after her second cup of tea. She had seen her life ending in front of her eyes today and no one questions her uncharacteristic quiet behaviour. Eren on the other side didn’t touch the tea, he is fuming and angry with the world. More deaths he doesn’t care for, more beast that hide in human skin.

A small voice in his head tells him he should care but it sounds suspiciously like his father who was angry with him for saving the girl. He doesn’t need him, he doesn’t need people like that and for the first time since the alley Eren looks up and meets Levi´s glace. There is no anger, there is gratitude and something Eren would call proud.

“Good job protecting Isabel. Now you know why no one is walking around here alone. We are a team.” Eren nods as Levi offers him a cup. “How about tomorrow we train with the 3DM gear again. Eren smiles. Levi knows exactly what to say to make him fell right.

“Yes please.” The monster that had gotten his freedom for a few minutest goes back inside Eren´s soul, waiting patiently for the next time to be let out.


	7. Talk

“He is getting better.” Furlan remarks. Levi doesn’t need to look to know that. Eren is far too good with the gear. “He will be as good as you in two years.” Levi stays silent as they watch Isabel and Eren move across the cave ceiling in different formation to practise. He hadn’t thought that with only a few months of training would do that. He and Furlan had to teach themselves how the gear they stole from the soldiers worked. It had been hart, with many setbacks before they got it right. Teaching Isabel later as she entered their group made it easier for her but Eren is just … flying. As if he was born with it.

“Did she tell you what set him off?” Levi asks. He had seen the dangerous being boiling inside the boy as they returned form the incident at the marketplace or better the back alley next to it. Something monstrous lives inside this child’s souls and Levi is still debating with himself about to use it or not.

“She did.” Furlan looks back at the two training. You wouldn’t have thought that they were yesterday nearly kidnapped into slavery or worse. They put this horrible day behind them as if it was nothing. They are used to it from Isabel and slowly they see the same attitude from Eren. “I was the chains and the metal collar.”

“I thought so.” Eren´s trigger: Someone is taking his freedom or the freedom of someone else. “Good to know.”

“Of course, you say that but she told me that he didn’t show any mercy not even to the guy who begged for his life.” That earns Furlan a sharp look from Levi.

“His life is worth nothing. You decide to take someone else’s, you have lost your right to ask for your own.” Levi stands up. “He did good, and he is staying.”

“Oh, did he say so?” Furlan asks.

“He killed six people and only took Isabel and the green scarf I gave him back to our home. That should tell you enough.” There was more but his friend didn’t need to know. Didn’t need to know about the beast with the green eyes that waited for his approval before it returned to his slumber. Didn’t need to know about the eyes that look like his in this situation. For all their time together Furlan didn’t get it. He had been one of the lucky ones down here. His father had a good position and let his son have the most normal childhood possible down in the underground city.

“What next?” Ignoring the whole killing thing. The picture of the blood covered boy will stay in his mind for a very long time.

“We will use our newest member for a few heists that require more than three people.” Levi offers him a rare smile as he walks over to the other two.


	8. Rumours

Isabel places the bag on the floor next to the door and enters the house after cleaning her shoes on the mat. Levi would kill her if more dirt then necessary would enter their home. “Eren?” She calls out.

“Here.” The bathroom.

“Are you still cleaning the floor.” She asks surprised. “I left two hours ago how can it be that you are still not done with it.” Eren looks up from his spot on the ground a small brush in one hand a cloth in the other.

“Levi told me to do it again, he found another drop of blood under the sink.” Eren sight. “I should have done it probably the first time.”

Isabel sits down in the door and watches Eren clean the sink and floor and everything in the bathroom again. As shining as it looks Levi will always find something. She wonders when she had taken in the boy and thought of him like a little brother. First she thought it was after the incident where he had saved her and killed six people a year ago but it wasn’t that. It could be earlier as he woke up in there home, a strange place, strange people and he still had his fighting will. Maybe later as they start training together (he surpassed her after half a year later) or as Eren starts to come with them, helping out and all.

“Can I ask you something.” She shouldn’t ask, the past and everything that is about yourself is private even here but she does. He doesn’t have to answer.

Eren stops in his work, they both look at each other. “Shoot.”

“Do you want to go back to the surface.” She sees his surprised face. He had probably thought she will finally ask what he did to end up here. What made him a monster that had yesterday killed another person. To Eren´s defence it was a kill or die situation, but no child should accept a world like this. She should not accept to live in world like this and the eyes of the monster she sometimes sees in him let her shiver. She feels save around him, that monster that lives in the boy protects her, had protected her on multiple occasions and will do so in the future. Like she has done everything in her power to protect him as some guy smashed a glass bottle on his head that let him open and without a defence.

“It´s not the surface I´m longing to see. Up there I was a prisoner like down here. The only difference is that you have the blue sky and you can pretend that you are free and that life is good but it´s not.” Something cold swims in his voice. “People up there are cowards. They hide behind walls and ignore the titans but the problem are not even the monsters outside the wall, it´s the fear that let them all hide and do as they are told. Like cattle. What´s the different between being down here or up there. In the underground city you have more honesty. Believe me.” His eyes told her that is really what he thinks.

“I never thought about it like this.” All her life she had dreamed from the surface, like every child born in the darkness. Hearing Eren´s word it makes her think. “So what do you wish for?”

“A world without walls.” He says and returns to his cleaning job. Isabel gets up and starts putting away her shopping.

“There is a new rumour about you again.” She can hear his eye roll from the kitchen. Since he arrived in the city people talked about him. No wonder but the rumours get wilder every day. “Today an old woman on the marketplace said that you are an angel send by the church to erase all the darkness down here. And when you are done with the bad people you will break a hole into the ceiling and bring them sunlight.”

Eren comes out of the bathroom, emptying the buckle with dirty cleaning water into the sink. “An Angel? Last week I was a devil, summoned by the king to steal babies.” It really gets worse every day.

“I find your nickname still great. The monster of the underground city, it matches Levi´s.” She smiles at him.

“Whatever, I don´t care.” Isabel knows that he really means it and that´s good. For them he is part of their family and that is all that is important.


	9. Date night

There is one place in the underground city where you can see the sky. It´s not really in the city but down the tunnels that connect different caves with each other. One has this giant hole, the place where they practise with the 3DM gear. Eren likes this place, not because of the sky like the other, he likes it because Levi relaxes here. 

Eren has found this place, the city and his newfound family to be his home. A new home different and often rougher then his old one but he didn’t mind. This city and especially Levi had given him a kind of freedom that the surface would never offer him. He likes it to go out for these little jobs with Furlan or Isabel and the bigger ones where they are working as a team. He doesn’t mind that Levi is a clean-freak that let´s him clean the floor a third time when he doesn’t do it probably the first to times. He doesn’t mind a world without sky, they are still prisoners of the walls and it makes really no difference where you are inside.

It has been more than two years since the military police pushed him down the stairs that ended with him being taken home to Levi´s house. Eren is eleven but he feels older. This place makes you grow up faster, Furlan explained one day. Either that your not at all. Death is a constant companion in the underground city. The food isn’t the best, medical care is rare or not available at all. There is no sun and some children don’t get old because of this. There are the criminals that don´t care about anything, the gangs and the despaired. Eren can understand the last group of people. When you have less then nothing you do everything to get something. At least the people who still have a will to survive. Some people just give up.

And they are the worst. Eren had watched a man hang himself after he killed his five year old daughter. He owed a few people money and they told him that they would take his daughter the next day to sell her for him to pay off. Eren wished he could have turned away like Isabel, but he couldn’t. This was one of these situation that showed him that this world they live in is cruel and merciless.

* * *

Today Levi and Eren spend their time at the cave with the hole in the ceiling. Isabel and Furlan are on watch duty for their newest target. They both had felt like training but as they arrived it had already become dark and after an hour they stopped and just watched the sky change it´s colours. As the first stars came out Levi asks a question. It is one of there days where Levi finds the difference between up there and down here strange enough to ask Eren about it.

“Do you miss your old life? Your parents and friends and whatever shit you had going on up there?” Levi asks and Eren had to keep a smile back. Is cute how Levi want´s to sound tough, disinterested and cold at the same time but doesn’t get that Eren can see through the mask with ease.

Eren looks up at the stars, he had watched them sometimes at home, in the winter times when the days where shorter and his mother had let him go to the rooftop. When snow would cover the houses. He never liked that the wall towered over their city like a dark shadow and he couldn’t even pretend that it isn’t there by lying down on the floor. The top of the wall was always there. “I would lie if I say I didn’t miss them but …” Eren tries to find the right words to describe it. “My life up there ended the day I took two lives. That Eren is dead. His family buried him and I think that is good so. All the anger that I felt all the time … here I can let it out if I need to. This is freedom, in some way.” Eren looks at Levi who watches him. “Freedom is to be here with you until we find a way out of this god forsaken place.” They both know that Eren means the walls and Levi´s first aim is citizenship and the surface but after years of listening to Eren he knows that true freedom isn’t the surface and the people who live there. “Look.” Eren suddenly says and Levi follows his glace.

A shooting star crosses the night sky. And another, a meteor shower and they can see it.

“Beautiful.” Levi hadn’t meant to say it but Eren didn’t comment on it. Together they watch the falling stars.

“I took the blame for the third death.” Levi froze, he knows what comes next. Two years and no one had ever asked him how he ended up killing someone. He stays silence. “My father was a doctor and he visited a family that lived in a forest to check on them. They had a daughter around my age he asked me to come to play with her because there were no other children around. I did come but as we arrived at their home her parents were dead. Both killed and she was taken. My father went to get the MP but I didn’t wait, I couldn’t. All I saw was that the girl was taken, that someone would sell her or do worse.” Eren took another breath, he hadn’t notice that his breathing got faster. “To find them was pretty easy and killing the first too. I just played the lost boy in the woods before I stabbed him with a knife in his neck. The second I run over with a broom stick. On the end I had tied up another knife. As he was on the ground, I stabbed him multiply times. I didn’t count and it wasn’t important. He was dead in the end. I didn’t know there was a third man and as I untied the girl he attacked us. I told the girl to fight, to survive and she did. She took the knife from the ground and stabbed the third one into the back.” Eren stops and looks at Levi for the first time since he had started. “She shouldn’t get punished for something I made her do, even when it was her decision to fight. I made her kill that man. I was going down here anyway, why take her with me.”

The silence that follows wasn’t uncomfortable they both stared up at the sky again, watching the shooting stars crossing the night sky. “What happened to her?” Levi asked. He isn’t really interested in it but maybe Eren would offer more information.

“My father took her in. I hope she is alright. Maybe having her there helped my mother. I have no idea.” Eren suddenly smiles. “I think we should change the subject, not a great conversation topic for the first date under the starry sky.”

“What do you mean with date, brat. Who is dating?” Eren just laughs at Levi, a bit of a red blush was visible even in the night with only the light of the falling stars.


	10. The offer

“Are you sure we should do that?” Furlan asks as Levi had finished explaining their plan. “I mean running from the military police is one thing but-“ Levi´s look stopped him.

“This is our chance. The wall has fallen, they are looking for new and able soldiers, everywhere. That means when we play our cards right, we get out of here. And with the extra job to steal from the Survey Corps Commandant, we will have the money to get a good life up there.

“When we die there is no life left to live.” Furlan counters. He has been worried since Eren and Isabel told him the rumours about the military police looking for them. The news about the fallen wall reached the underground city only hours after it had happened. As Eren heard where the titan´s broke through the gate he let the worry for his family out for the first time since he came down here. He had always thought they would be safe.

They are not, no one is.

“Don’t you have trust in our abilities.” Isabel asked. She was clearly on Levi´s and Eren´s side.

“Fine, but I don’t want to hear anything when a titan bites off your nose.” He tells her.

* * *

After their next heist, the four of them feel them before they see the soldiers following. Some wear green cloaks, the Survey Corps is there too, good. Levi looks at the others and especially at Eren. “Follow the plan, show off a bit, not too much. Fight but don’t hurt anyone more than necessary and let yourself get captured in the end. If they don’t want us, we break free on my signal. Now go.” They separate and Levi uses a few of his skills to get ahead, to lose his tail but one of the green cloaked man catches up. They are armed with the titan-killing-blades and Levi has his small knife, still he fights. It has too look as if they try to get away. And what he can do with only a knife, Levi had to stop his face from changing into a cruel smile. He would win against everyone with less.

“Look around you.” The soldier told him and Levi sees how the situation has changes. Furlan and Isabel are caught. Two soldiers hold them. Furlan walks without much fight. Just showing his unhappiness about the whole situation and Isabel is fighting like the dangerous fighting machine she can be. Eren isn't with them. Of course he is not. How could Levi really believed that Eren would stick to the plan. He can only hope that whoever is hunting him doesn't trigger the monster inside of the boy. Because not even Levi would be able to stop it from killing everything that Eren believes to be an enemy. Someone who steels the freedom of others.

A sudden crush let Levi look to his right and he sees a very dirty Eren fall from the roof with another soldier holding him. The soldier looks … good at least for someone who had a match up with Eren, they are all save. The monster stayed in. Levi needs it to stay there, it can come out to play another time. The soldier picked up Eren and pulls off hood. Their eyes meet and Levi let his knife go down.

* * *

The four of them kneel on the dirty street. Levi hates it, why has everything has to be dirty. Not like their home. He made sure everything is clean before they left. Erwin Smith, the commandant that has the document their client want offers him what he had expected. Join the Survey Corps or the military police gets them.

A red head with glasses walks pass them, looking them up and down. “Two guys, a girl and a child.”

“Hey, I´m not a child, I´m twelve years old.” Eren complains and gets his head smacked from behind. The soldier that had captured him is nursing a bleeding cut on his arm and something that looks like a head injury that he is too proud off to let get treated.

Oh, Eren that doesn’t make it better and people from the surface won´t understand how fast children are forced to grow up in the underground. Grow up fast or never at all.

“Let me rephrase that. A rude child.” The red-head says and turns to the commandant. “Are you sure you want them. We can´t take children and three people won´t do much of a difference. The trouble they will do … is it really worth it.” Erwin let his eyes wander over them, they stop at Eren for a moment and Levi is glad he fastened the scarf more securely around his neck this morning. He doesn’t seem happy about Eren´s presence but what can he do. Erwin had seen the boy fight and knows that there is more.

“Hanji, see it as an experiment.” Her eyes suddenly shine bright. “And no, you can´t do anything with them. They are here to fight against the titans.” With another look at Levi, he continued. “If they want to, of course.”

Levi huffs, what a choice. If this would be real and not something, they want the situation would be different, but they want to go up there. So, Levi looks at his friends for a second. Getting their consent and fixes cold, grey eyes at the man that will wish he had never set a foot into the underground city. “We will go with you, for the offered citizenship and that we stay together.” Erwin looks at Eren again. “And don’t worry about him. He would kill you all in a heartbeat before you can understand what is happening. The titan´s won´t be a problem.” He wouldn’t let anyone separate them.


	11. Training with ´real´ soldiers

Hanji doesn’t understands Erwin´s plan. Good, that isn’t her job but she really would like to know what these children have to offer that he want´s to take them in without proper training. There is a reason for the three year of military training they all go through. It raises their survival chances. But here they are. Four residence of the underground city, a badly smelling, dark place. She wonders how anyone can survive down there. The human body needs sunlight, fresh air, healthy food to grow up and work probably. Everything she saw down there was the opposite.

As the arrive at the castle where their new recruits would get the bare minimum of training with the blades she offers to show them around, get them to their room and their new uniforms. The discussion about male and female bedroom took the better part of an hour wish ended with her winning and the girl moving to one of the women bedrooms. Hanji has no doubt that she will find the girl in this room again the next morning. Honestly, she didn’t care much where they sleep. She was more offended at the comment of the black-haired small guy, about the disgusting condition they keep this place. The eye roll of the two others told her that it is something they hear often.

She offers them their uniforms. “You wear the complete outfit, not letting the jacked behind or wear different boots. No necklaces, rings, hats, scarfs or whatever else you have on you.” They didn’t seem to mind so Hanji takes the girl, she really needs to learn their names, to her room and get her the same uniform.

As they return to pick up the others he finds one of the reasons the threat of the small guy was filled with confident. The boy just stood there in his uniform and the ugly scar of the murder-branding standing out of his pale skin that hadn’t seen much sunlight.

She recognizes the mark immediately; they get those marked soldiers sometimes, but she never has seen it on a child. Judging by the condition of the mark, its old, a few years at least. What had made such a small child turn into a murderer. Was it an accident? Self-defence? There are many possibilities how someone becomes a murderer. She isn’t a fan of the law and Hanji is aware that sending children into the underground city is just another death sentence.

“You want to paint a picture or what.” The small guy sound frustrated. “You have seen it before.” They had notice her staring, of course they did.

“No thanks, I can look at it all I want from now on. Let´s go. I want to get the training over as soon as possible. Erwin wants us out of the wall and on the next mission.” She turns around and they follow. As they arrive at the training field, they are not the only one there. Many soldiers came to look at the new guys, like always but as soon as they see the branded child, the whispering starts and follows them. “Let´s start with your names. It will be easier with them. Then you get your gear and we train in the forest against wooden titans.

They look at each other before the girl steps forward. “Isabel Magnolia.”

Followed by the tall guy. “Furlan Church.”

The boy comes next, ignoring that everyone is looking at his mark. “Eren Jäger.”

With another pointed look from Furlan and a ´ts´ from the small guy he goes last. “Levi.” No Family name, no nothing. One of the nameless as it seems. Hanji knows that Erwin is looking for some identification for them. Files that tell them something about them. Their names are a good start.

Mike steps forward and offers them the 3DM gear and like any other soldiers, like they would do it every day. They are dressed up and ready to fight in under a minute. Levi is the first one that pulls out one of the blades holding it the wrong way, but it didn’t seem to be wrong for him. “Listen.” Mike´s voice is ruff and demands their attention. Hanji would say he gets half of an ear of each of them. Far too busy looking at their new toys. Especially Isabel and Eren seem far to occupy with checking up their new weapons. Hanji feels wrong letting this boy out to battle titans in a few days. Children like him have at least 3 more years of training ahead if they sign up at the lowest recruitment age. Her attention is pulled back to Mike. “You kill a titan by slicing his nape.” He holds up a drawing of a titan´s neck and how deep you have to put in the blades. “Everything else will heal and you have to do it again. It´s helpful to blind them or cut off their fingers when they catch you but better be quick and kill it.” Seeing that he didn’t get the attention he wants to Mike stops his lesson. “Fine. Let´s go, we will see how good you really are.”

* * *

With everyone in their position the recruits were send off into the forest. Finally, Hanji understood what Erwin had seen in them. Without hesitation, without stopping or testing out their blades the four sliced and cut through ever fake titan that was thrown into there way. She isn’t the only one that is surprised by their abilities.

“Hope they are like this when they meet their first real titan.” Mike commented and somehow Hanji can see it already, them fighting outside against the titan´s smiling and laughing as if they were having a picnic.

“Your training was much harder.” Hanji hears Eren say to Levi, what kind of training did the man made them do to laugh about this one. Where you could break your bones with one wrong step. But surprisingly she didn’t mind. Fresh blood will be very welcome and maybe, just maybe they can work together and she will finally get her test subjects.

* * *

As the dinner time came he has a really fascinating sight in front of her. Four people enjoying the food and eating as if they hadn’t anything this good in years … or ever. Probably true. Hanji is still their guide, as Erwin put it this afternoon, so they sit together, with a few other soldiers that had watched them train. Eren sits in front of her and she has more time to study the mark. She really wants to know; she had seen some of the other soldier looking away uncomfortable.

“Eren what did you do to end up with that mark?” Eren looks up and Hanji feels every pair of eyes in the whole dining room on her. Ups, she did it again, broken some unspoken social rule she ignores constantly. Surprisingly Eren smiles at her.

“I killed some beast that were disguised as people, who wanted to take someone’s freedom.” The smile grew wider. “I got rid of some unworthy things that call themselves humans.” Eren gets up and Isabel follows him, getting another helping of the dinner that every soldier that had ever tasted something else, despise. Hanji hears her chattering.

Levi waited long enough to make sure Eren and Isabel were out of earshot. “If anyone of you even think of doing something to him, I will cut your throats while you sleep.” After a second he added. “You should be careful around him. Go too far and you wish a titan would use you as a chew-toy. You might think I look dangerous? Well, I will look like the most resemble person in the world compared to what you would unleash in him. So, whoever is stupid enough to hurt him or one of us. I hope you have made your will, because it will be the end of them.”

They all look at Eren who is laughing and smiling. Joking with Isabel about something they couldn’t hear. Levi was right, they all had put him, the leader, as the most dangerous of them but when the leader of the small group warns them, what does that mean for the boy they brought with them out of the darkness.


End file.
